Gluten Free Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte

Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
Serves 6 to 12 (6 large slices or 12 thin slices)

1 Tbs fresh espresso shot, or 1 Tbs instant coffee
1 Tbs greek yoghurt
1/3 cup raw caster sugar
1/2 cup (100g) 70% chocolate, finely chopped (I use Whittaker's 72% Ghana Chocolate)
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
50g unsalted butter
3 large (59g) eggs, separated
1/2 cup hazelnuts
1 Tbs Dutch cocoa

Preheat oven to 170C (340F). Line the bottom of a 22 cm (8-inch) springform cake pan with a piece of parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.

Combine the first six ingredients together in a medium heatproof/stainless steel bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water, turn off the heat. The water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir until all ingredients melt together. Remove the bowl from the pot. Remove the vanilla bean and set aside to cool slightly.

Pulse to roughly ground the hazelnuts in a food processor. Toast the ground hazelnuts in a dry pan over medium heat, tossing several times to evenly toast. Once the nuts have turned golden brown, add to the chocolate mixture with the three egg yolks, blend.

Whip the egg whites in a clean bowl until soft peaks form, sift Dutch cocoa over the egg whites and gently fold to combine. Whisk a third of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold the remaining egg whites into the chocolate mixture to prevent it deflating too much. It will be a thick mixture, and should not contain any streaks or lumps of the egg whites. Spoon into your prepared tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. The centre will be brownie-like, and a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully turning out on a wire rack. I use a plate lined with parchment paper to remove the torte from the pan, then place a wire rack on the base to invert the torte right-side-up.

You may opt to serve it upside down as the base of the torte will be smoother, however I like to serve the torte right-side-up and sprinkled with dutch cocoa. Store in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic. This torte will become moister as it sits and may be made a day in advance.

This recipe can easily be doubled to produce a higher torte. The cooking time can be increased by 20 to 25 minutes, but watch your torte to make sure it doesn't burn. I've made two separate tortes before and layered freshly whipped cream and fresh blueberries and raspberries between the two to create an impressive cake. You are only limited by your imagination. This torte is delicious served with coffee or traditional chai tea.

Moist, bittersweet, decadent dark chocolate with hazelnuts and dutch cocoa. The perfect chocolate torte to celebrate his birthday.

Love Bella xx

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Mini Cinnamon Pear and Hazelnut Cakes

Gluten Free and heavenly!

Hey wheat-eaters! I see you scattering like mice when a light is turned on. Don't run away, come back and try this, I promise you won't be disappointed!

Mini Cinnamon Pear and Hazelnut Cakes

1 cup brown rice flour (I used a beautiful certified organic version from pure food essentials, which is almost as fine as tapioca flour)
2/3 cup hazelnuts (chop finely into hazelnut meal using a food processor, or a Magic Bullet- call it what you like, it was my one Danoz Direct purchase and I'm not ashamed to admit it, it's fabulous!)
1 & 1/2 Tbs tapioca flour
1 & 1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch or two of salt
a generous sprinkle of cinnamon, approximately 1/4-1/2 tsp
one decent pinch of xanthan gum
120 g unsalted butter (read below for how to prepare)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup Canadian maple syrup (the good stuff, no impostors here!)
1 level tsp vanilla bean paste (I used Queen Vanilla Bean Paste, 1 tsp equates to about 1 vanilla bean, but is more cost-effective ~$10 from Coles- the seeds are still present and it's gluten and allergen free)
2 free range eggs, slightly beaten
2 ripe Packham pears, cored and grated
3/4 cup caster sugar
Additional cinnamon for dusting the mini cakes

Beurre noisette

120 g unsalted butter
Brown the butter over low heat to separate the butterfat and milk solids. Once the milk solids have started to turn a dark caramel colour in the bottom of the saucepan, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Strain the brown milk solids out of the butterfat and discard, what you will be left with is a deliciously nutty butter, known as beurre noisette. Perfect for baking.

In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the fine brown rice flour, hazelnut meal, tapioca flour, baking powder, pinch of salt, cinnamon, and xanthan gum. Set aside.
In a smaller mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, real maple syrup, vanilla paste, and beaten eggs. Stir until combined, then pour in a continuous stream of the cooled beurre noisette and whisk together.
Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the syrupy mixture, whisk until well incorporated.
Drain or squeeze the pear pulp a little to remove some of the excess juice (reserve this in a measuring cup), ensure the grated pear flesh is still soft and quite moist, add the juicy grated pear flesh to the nutty batter and fold it in until the pear is evenly distributed. If the batter looks too thick, you can add a little of the reserved pear juice.

Grease a 12 cup muffin tin (I used a mini bundt pan I purchased from Victoria's Basement in the Queen Victoria Building at Town Hall), pour the batter into the moulds until they are approximately 2/3 full and bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes, or until the cakes are slightly springy the the touch.

Cool the mini cakes slightly, then invert onto a rack to allow to cool, before rolling them on a plate with the caster sugar and extra cinnamon.

Best served warm with a dollop of freshly whipped pure cream, sweetened a little with sugar and delicately dotted with 1/4 tsp of vanilla bean paste.

These are impressive to serve any time, but are particularly popular if you're heading to a baby shower, a picnic in the park, or for guests at your home for afternoon tea (Oh! That final scenario is the bonus because your home will smell sweet and nutty, with a hint of cinnamon).

They may be gluten free but are soft and light and incredibly addictive.

Taste so nice, I baked them twice (a day apart)!

Bella xx

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